ARTHUR BRUSO

box constructions

And the day came

when the risk

to remain tight

in a bud

was more painful

than the risk

it took

to blossom.

          —Anaïs Nin

In conjunction with the reading of excerpts from Arthur Bruso’s
recently published memoir, So Far Away No One Will Notice, this exhibition presents six of Bruso’s box constructions. While the memoir delves into Bruso’s personal journey, his box constructions represent his continual analysis and exploration of not only his own life but also the world and cosmos that surround us.

Arthur Bruso’s art practice spans photography, drawing, collage, and box constructions. Across his diverse body of work, there is a lively and vigorous sense of curiosity. His art grapples with existential questions, our place in the cosmos, and the search for meaning through both science and mysticism. Personal histories and their reconsideration and retelling play a significant role, forming a continuum that connects the past, present, and future.

Each box construction in this collection is a small universe of its own. The materials employed are humble and often overlooked: pocket combs, toy fragments, broken pieces of costume jewelry, and other discarded bits and pieces. Through Bruso’s process, these simple objects are transformed into miniature dioramas that evoke the spirit of Joseph Cornell yet eschew the sentimentality to which Cornell devotees often succumb.

Bruso’s constructions are not just visually engaging; they are intellectually stimulating. Titles such as “Deep Space,” “Universe,” and “Anatomy” hint at the scientific themes that permeate his work. While others, like “Albert and Giorgio Cross the Piazza” winkingly mind us of the art historical references at play. The boxes pursue an articulation of what resides between the seen and the unseen, the tangible and the theoretical.

The whimsical nature of Bruso’s boxes is balanced by their thoughtful composition and inquiry. Each object within the box is carefully selected and placed, creating a harmonious whole. The constructions are intimate and treat the humble source materials with reverence, shuttling the viewer between the modest and the sublime. 

The dream-like narratives they weave are both delightful and profound. Through these boxes, Bruso creates a collage of exploration and transformation, a testament to the enduring power of introspection and reinvention.

Deep Space; 7.75” w x 3.5” h x 3.5” d; fiber paper, plastic, ceramic, steel wire, archival mat board, wood, acrylic paint, glass.

Universe; 6” w x 4.5”h x 3” d; pot metal, steel, plastic, steel wire, archival mat board, wood, acrylic paint.

Anatomy; 8 1/8”w x 11”h x 2 3/4”d; plastic, steel wire, archival mat board, wood, Masonite, acrylic paint.

Albert and Giorgio Cross the Piazza; 12 1/2” w x 7 1/4” h x 8 1/4” d; plastic, wood, archival mat board, acrylic paint, steel wire, glass.

Raymond E. Mingst © 2024 Curious Matter

Used with permission.

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So Far Away No One Will Notice (Book)

So Far Away No One Will Notice is a profound exploration of the gay experience across two distinct eras, highlighting enduring challenges and the fight for true equality.

After months of excruciating pain that left him struggling to walk, artist and writer Arthur Bruso was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer. Aggressive treatment rendered his cancer “undetectable” within six months, but this apparent victory led Bruso into a deep reflection on his fragile mortality.

Amid this introspection, Bruso discovered Fellow Travelers, a streaming series based on Thomas Mallon’s novel, which follows Tim Laughlin and Hawk Fuller as they navigate a clandestine relationship during the McCarthy-era Lavender Scare of the 1950s, continuing through the AIDS pandemic of the 1980s. This show became a powerful catalyst, unlocking a deluge of Bruso’s own memories.

Bruso draws striking parallels between the lives of these fictional characters and his own experiences as a gay man. From his early sexual awakening and experiences to the heartbreaking murder and funeral of his first serious partner, Bruso’s memoir juxtaposes the dramatic episodes of Fellow Travelers with deeply personal chapters of his life. While the timelines and specifics may differ, the emotional and social struggles resonate with uncanny similarity.

So Far Away No One Will Notice is a moving testament to the resilience and complexity of queer lives, urging readers to reflect on how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go.

"So Far Away No One Will Notice (Bentboiz Press), a pained, meditative, lyrical life story that covers his upbringing in conservative Catholic Albany, his relationships with lovers, siblings, and parents, and the complicated dynamics of life in queer America before the passage of domestic partnership legislation. Throughout the book, Bruso is forthright, confessional, and unsparing, and he’s often nearly as tough on himself as he is on those who denied him basic rights and respect for his identity as a gay man. The artist testifies to the ways that homophobia distorts lives, encourages deception and self-loathing, and corrupts everybody around it, straight and nonstraight alike."

Tris McCall,

"In a Memoir, a Gay Man Chronicles His Battle with Homophobia and Cancer,"

Jersey City Times

Arthur Bruso and Bentboiz Press © 2024

Purchase So Far Away No One Will Notice here.

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Black Hole

Arthur Bruso; Black Hole; 4"h x 4"w x 4.5"d; cardboard, tape spool, copper wire, aluminum foil, glass beads, tissue paper, acrylic paint, steel wire, glue.

As an unrepentant pack-rat, I felt justified of my habit upon finding photographs of Joseph Cornell’s studio. I had been contemplating a box idea ever since I had learned about Cornell. Years later, still not acting on my box constructions, but having moved my collection of junk three times, I saw a retrospective of Rauschenberg which included small wooden boxes he built in the 1950’s. These reinvigorated my desire to proceed with my boxes.

Black Hole is the latest in a series of assemblage boxes that I have been constructing. An object suggests to me what the idea of the box may be. With Black Hole, the object was a nearly spent roll of black cloth, electrician’s tape. It was the negative space of the roll, combined with the idle fact that the cardboard spool had begun to unravel that I focused on.

Black holes have long held a fascination for me. The idea that all matter is going to be spiraling down a massive, insatiable hole, that has the strongest gravitational pull in the universe, both frightened me and held me in awe.

In this box, I have tried to render the concept of space being bent by the enormous gravitational forces exerted by the black hole by showing the interior space narrower at the back than at the front. Matter spiraling into the hole and x-rays shooting out are depicted by the white beads and the silver foil respectively.

I get a sense of ironic humor that I have contained one of the most destructive forces in the universe in a 4-inch square box. The universe may be infinite, but that also means that it can be contained in that small space.

Black Hole was first exhibited as part of the Hocus Pocus exhibition at Curious Matter.

Arthur Bruso © 2009

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